_West Verne Expressway / Inside CIB Custom Hover-Van

'Oh shiiit!!!' I inwardly screamed in panic.

Those are 2nd Gen. Tactical Frames - TMU-55 'Grisham'. They were widely used by the military a few years back, and are now popular with mercenary outfits and other more unsavory groups - such as space pirates - due to their proliferation in the black market, ease of use, simple maintenance procedures and relatively cheap cost.

They're also very versatile - with lots of modded variants littering even the most remote corners of the known galaxy.

How do I know all this? We had several stripped down units of the same model serving as training mechs for our mandatory military drills after classes back at 4th High. Our drill instructor gave us an introductory primer on the things.

But that's not important right now dammit! Those chasing us certainly don't look like stripped down, barebones units at all! They may be cheap, but they're still deadly. Very much so.

How'd they manage to sneak those things inside the city anyway? 

Oh, wait... 

I didn't notice earlier because of all the commotion, but we've already exited Grigwald and entered Verne Expressway. They must've been standing by outside, and mobilized once we got out of the city.

I turned towards the two other people with me, hoping they would have some form of countermeasures for this situation. They're part of the CIB after all.

"Hey, Nightingale. Think you can take some of those out?" Uncle Hal turned his head towards us and asked the lady, whom he addressed as Nightingale, with a daring smirk on his face.

"And leave Gibbs with no work to do?" Nightingale retorted. Uncle Hal just continued to smirk at her silently.

Uncle, I know you're trying to act cool and all, but could you please keep your eyes on the road?! You'll end up getting us done in via car accident instead of mech assault at this rate y'know!

"Oh, alright. Whatever. I suppose the guy does deserve a break once in a while. Give me a few minutes Chief." Nightingale threw up her hands and relented. She then gently tapped the bottom of the vehicle with her foot. 

"This thing's the one equipped with the mini high density Genion cannon right?" she inquired.

"Yep. Fully armed and ready to rip out some holes." Uncle nodded and gave a rather dangerous sounding reply.

Nightingale made a predatory grin. Her violent aura made my body go all stiff. She then turned towards me.

"Ryuu-ryuu, could you be a dear and move to the front seat please? Big sis needs to swat some bothersome pests down." she said in a calm, sweet sounding voice. 

I nodded in a mechanical manner, even forgetting to protest about her using that embarrassing nickname, and hurriedly clambered to the van's front seat.

Once I settled myself, Uncle inputted some commands on the control panel of the vehicle, raising a fluid alloy partition which completely closed off the front part of the van. 

Before the barrier finished going up, I managed to catch a glimpse of what was happening at the back of the vehicle.

The interior was surprisingly transforming in an incredible way, and Nightingale's body was fast being covered by overlapping metallic plates.

"What the heck is that?" I muttered.

***

Her blood was boiling in excitement. 

Assignments like this were hard to come by, and she'd already decided to savor every moment of it.

Ever since she'd quit the mercenary life and got recruited into the CIB, this was the first time she's managed to feel the tension of a real battlefield once more. Of course she wouldn't pass up such a delicious opportunity.

She was just putting up a front earlier, in an attempt to change the impression her Chief had on her, if only a tiny bit.

The guy was a total blockhead. She'd already made it abundantly clear that she'd joined the Bureau only because of him. But he's kept avoiding the issue whenever she brings it up.

Oh well. He'll be hers eventually anyway. It's only a matter of time.

"First things first, I suppose." the young woman code named 'Nightingale' sighed.

Her Active Nano-Suit EX-Frame just finished deploying, covering her from head to foot in an extremely tough, yet flexible material made up of countless nanomachines. It also multiplied her strength by a large factor, making her fully capable of ripping up military grade composite armor to shreds.

She initiated a quick systems check, and then made her way to the gleaming weapon which was now jutting out from the back of the vehicle.

It was a prototype miniaturized high density Genion cannon developed for army use. Her Chief managed to procure one through his connections with the military, and it was given to the CIB under the pretext of testing its viability in urban environments - which was total bullshit, of course.

Who in their right mind would fire off a weapon capable of large scale destruction in an urban area anyway, right? No one would. Well, except for terrorists, maybe.

Anyway, who cares about the particulars. What's important is that she now has the opportunity to play with this new toy. She primed it and prepared to fire.

Her smile, covered by the suit, widened. It was the smile of an apex predator.

And now, it was time to hunt.

***

"Sir, something's coming out from the back of the vehicle. Seems to be some sort of mobile artillery emplacement." the crisp voice of a young man said through the open channel of the mech's comms.

"I see it Ghost 3. Stay alert. We don't know how much of a punch that thing packs." replied the pilot of the lead unit of the Grisham mechs. 

It was a guy who wouldn't have had any trouble playing the part of an average salaryman. In fact, that was exactly what he was up until a few weeks ago, when the order for mobilization had arrived. 

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. They wouldn't have this much trouble if they weren't told to capture the target alive. But, orders were orders. And, as a soldier, he had to execute them as perfectly as possible.

"Begin attack. Fire the EMP grenades. Incapacitate and capture them. Central wouldn't mind if we're a little rough, just as long as the target is brought back in one piece." he commanded.

The weapons of the mechs then roared to life. EMP grenades flew in an arc and detonated on top of the vehicle, stopping it cold. Their rifles then rained ammo down on the pavement, destroying the patch of road surrounding the vehicle, effectively keeping it in check.

The three mechs then engaged their boosters and speedily closed in, firing all the while. But they still remained vigilant. A cornered animal bites the hardest - as the saying goes.

Without warning, a crimson flash suddenly tore through the air from within the billowing smoke and debris. It hit one of the approaching mechs dead on, but got blocked off by its energy barrier. 

"Ghost 3! Everything alright?" the leader asked. 

"I'm okay sir. Barrier stopped it just fi—"

Before the other pilot could finish his reply, another six flashes fired out. Three hit the barrier with pin point accuracy - in the exact same spot where the first shot had landed - and cancelled it out. Another three hit the cockpit, completely eating through the composite armor and incinerating the pilot within.

"GHOST 3!" the leader screamed, caught unprepared for what had just happened. Their barriers could usually stop a full minute of continuous pulse cannon barrage. Just what the hell was that weapon?!

He forced himself to calm down and relayed more orders. "Spread out! Don't let them get a lock. Immediately activate your boosters once you confirm visual. Don't give them time to aim!" he roared through the comms.

"Damn! We wouldn't have to stake our lives like this if we could just destroy them directly! What's so important about that kid anyway?!" he spat angrily.

He hurriedly approached their target. They had the advantage in mobility anyway, so everything would be settled once they managed to close in.

Or so he thought.

A figure appeared in front of them. 

It was a lithe, silver humanoid silhouette, carrying the large artillery battery over its left shoulder, completely treating it as if it were weightless.

It then dashed towards them with incredible speed.

And their nightmare began.